Spartans Hold Off Plymouth St. 35-31

PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Sophomore
quarterback George
Busharis completed 25-of-40 passes for 463 yards and two
touchdowns Saturday afternoon at Currier Field but Castleton needed
a defensive stop in the final minute of the game to pull out a
35-31 victory over Plymouth State in the non-conference football
season opener for both schools.

Castleton used a strong aerial attack to take a 14-0 lead just
six minutes into the game, but PSU responded with 28 unanswered
points over the next two quarters, taking a 28-14 lead by utilizing
a strong running game and capitalizing on a first-quarter on-side
kick.

Castleton came back to tie the game at 28-all by the end of the
third quarter on the arm of Busharis, who was making his first
career start.

PSU pulled back ahead 31-28 early in the final quarter on a
30-yard field goal, but Elias
LaCount scored the eventual game-winning touchdown on a
four-yard run with nine minutes to play, taking a 35-31 lead. The
Panther had two possessions in an attempt for another comeback, but
a 12-play drive stalled just inside the Spartan 20-yard line with
2:34 remaining, and after the PSU defense forced a punt, PSU's Hail
Mary pass was intercepted near the goal line by Boyle as time
expired.

The Panthers got a strong rushing performance from senior Andrew
Foglia, who carried the ball 29 times for 173 yards (6.0 avg.) and
two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Jake Tyler completed 12-of-16
passes for 194 yards but was sacked three times.

Castleton senior wide receivers Brandon
Boyle and Mark
Comstock each had big days against the Panther defense;
Comstock caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown while
Boyle also hauled in eight passes for 156 yards and a score. The
463 passing yards by Busharis is the second most in program
history.

The teams combined for 944 yards of offense, the visitors mostly
through the air and the home team on the ground. Castleton
gained 463 of its 493 yards on passing plays, while PSU got 257 of
its 451 yards on running plays. Plymouth State kept the ball
away from the Spartans' power passing game by controlling the ball
for nearly 45 minutes of the contest.

Castleton scored on its first two possessions. LaCount ran one
into the end zone from eight yards out after a 34-yard pass play
from Busharis to Boyle set up the score. Then Boyle found the
end zone on a 49-yard pass play from Busharis to put the visitors
ahead 14-0 just 6:21 into the game.

PSU got on the board on its next possession on a nine-yard rush
by junior Mark Hennessy, as PSU ran the ball on eight of its nine
plays on the drive. The Panthers executed an on-side kick on the
ensuing kickoff, recovering the ball at the Castleton 42-yard
line. Eight plays later, Foglia ran it in from a yard out to
tie the score at 14-all early in the second quarter.

There were only three more possessions the rest of the second
quarter. An 11-play Castleton drive ended at the Panther
six-yard line when Busharis' pass went incomplete on
fourth-and-goal. PSU responded with a 14-play, 94-yard drive
that elapsed nearly nine minutes, capped by Foglia's six-yard burst
to put the home team up, 21-14. Castleton got the ball back with a
minute to play in the half and went 63 yards on nine plays, but
Busharis' pass on fourth down at the PSU 17 was incomplete, and PSU
led 21-14 at the break.

Plymouth State extended its lead 28-14 in the third quarter when
sophomore Bobby Whelan scored on a two-yard run. Castleton
came right back on the second play of its next drive with a 72-yard
strike from Busharis to Comstock down the left sideline for a
touchdown. The Spartans tied the game at 28-all a couple minutes
later when LaCount scored on a two-yard run after Busharis had
completed four straight passes.

Junior Rob Giles booted a 30-yard field goal for PSU to put the
home team ahead with 10:53 remaining in the fourth quarter, but
Castleton came right back with the winning score, going 71 yards
and LaCount going over the goal line from four yards out for the
eventual game-winner.

Senior linebacker Mick Wong led
the Spartan defense with 13 tackles (11 solo) and a sack, while
classmate Andrew
Pursell made 11 stops. Sophomore Jay
Morgan was a force inside with nine tackles and 1.5
sacks.

Both teams are back in action with non-conference games next
Saturday at 1:00 p.m. as PSU visits Mount Ida College and Castleton
hosts Endicott College in its home opener.